Rupal Himani

I am a devout follower of Lord Buddha and was hugely intrigued by the irreverent name of Peddar Road’s brand new “Buddha Belly” eatery. What on earth could Buddha’s belly possibly deliver? Nirvana. I hoped.

DÉCOR

Mish mash décor with sayings of Hippocrates. Brillat savarin and GB Shaw, photos of skyscrapers plastered all over walls. begin to give a clue of what is to follow.Seriously small, it even squeezes in a low ceilinged mezzanine floor. Malini Patel and Rupal Himani (who love trying out new eateries) were lunching here. While one’s daughter Malaika cooks brilliantly, the others Husband Divyesh cooks exotic dishes .

FOOD

No two ways about it: affordable pricing. Average of Rs 125 for 4 pieces of dimsum and an array of steamed, fried, baked, panfried dimsum. ( okayish Khaosuey the only main course) Well made and flaky baked dimsum filled with chicken came up tops, Fried chicken ball with a sticky.sweet filling was good, the surprises ? flavorsome vegetarian parmesan spinach dimsum, the mixed veggie crystal one. Superb mustard sauce and lemon grass sauces. Passable coconut mousse and nutella mousse.

An open all day, well-priced dimsum joint is definitely a great concept and for that alone Buddha Belly deserves kudos. However, it falters in execution, sometimes delivering thick skinned wrappers, at other times lackluster fillings. I am hoping these are teething troubles and our Buddha will outgrow them.